


Healing change

by Arzani



Series: changing things (Clovis in the Accidental Warlord AU) [4]
Category: Coёn (The Witcher) - Fandom, The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski
Genre: Ace Clovis, Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Injury Recovery, Inspired by The Accidental Warlord and His Pack Series - inexplicifics, small injury description
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-13 04:41:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29022888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arzani/pseuds/Arzani
Summary: Clovis heals with time and patience, and Nina's presence strongly at his side.As always inspired by the wonderful "The Accidental Warlord and his Pack" Series by Inexplicifics.
Relationships: Clovis (The Witcher)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: changing things (Clovis in the Accidental Warlord AU) [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1983590
Comments: 12
Kudos: 125





	Healing change

Healing was, mostly, awfully boring. He couldn’t move, so he spent his time sleeping and meditating and talking with whoever had a few moments to spare. If it weren’t for Nina’s constant presence and reassurance he’d probably go insane. With her by his side, though, Clovis managed. It was nice to have Nina close. She never ceased to smell of sunflower happiness, always had something to tell him and was simply good company. He was so fond of her, sometimes it almost hurt. But always in a good way. It was always good.

Triss checked on him regularly. Mostly she would come in in the mornings and then another time in the evenings. Nina had gotten good in helping him sit up, to prop his back against the bedrest, or lay back down when he wanted to sleep and she almost always had some help from one witcher, or another servant, or Triss when she was in. He really couldn’t complain, other than the pain that sometimes overwhelmed him. His body worked overtime to mend the broken bones and muscles in his body and it ached. With a witcher’s metabolism he burned through pain-relieving potions way too fast for them to be a long-term helpful solution to it. But he managed. He did.

After two days Triss released the immobility spell on his lower half of his body and while he was still not allowed to leave his bed, it felt good to feel his toes move again. He was pretty sure he’d not be able to hold himself up standing, but he slowly found the strength to shift his legs a little by himself and waggle his big toe. It was even worth the pain that followed. He’d never fooled himself thinking it would be an easy healing, but as it turned out, it was a manageable one.

Having Nina in his arms, lying next to him with her head in the crook of his neck, or tucked under his armpit, or on his shoulder was a welcome bonus. She either laid with him in bed or sat on the bedside or in a chair close by. It mostly depended on the time of the day.

A little more than a week had passed and Clovis could slowly, very slowly, bend his knees without it hurting too much, so he was hopeful he could leave the bed to at least take a little walk in a few days. Preferably less than more. He was a witcher. He hated being stuck in bed. Even with all the nice things on the side

“You think Triss lets me up, today?” Clovis asked, propped against the bedrest, while Nina lowered herself into the chair that stood close by. She had just changed from her night time clothes into some suitable dress, the wool warm and what looked to be very comfortable. She shrugged and held her hand out, for Clovis to take. He did it gratefully. Her hand was very warm, with calluses from her work in the kitchen and still, incomprehensibly, soft.

“Well, if you ask her  _ again _ , I’m pretty sure she lets you stay in bed a little longer, just to make a point.”

Clovis groaned and Nina chuckled and then they both stopped, when someone knocked at the door.

“Come in,” Nina called and the door opened to reveal Lila with a tray of food. Behind her a young lad - Thomas? Clovis didn’t quite catch the sight of him - vanished into the hallway. He obviously had just opened the door, with other business to attend to.

“Breakfast for the injured,” Lila teased, but sounded a little strained. Taking a whiff, Clovis could smell slight pain under her familiar scent of lavender and kitchen smells. When she placed the tray on Clovis’ bedside table, he caught a bandage peek out from under her sleeve.

“What happened to your arm?”

A slight blush spread on Lila’s cheeks and hesitation mixed with her scent.

“Nothing,” she replied and tugged at the hem of her sleeve to hide the bandage, but Clovis wasn’t fooled and even Nina looked slightly concerned.

“Out with it, I know you’re lying.” Raising an eyebrow when she made a face, he added. “Even Nina knows you’re lying.” Which earned him a light shove at the shoulder.

It took a moment, but then Lila sighed and lowered herself onto the edge of the bed. The mattress dipped a little under her but she wasn’t really heavy and didn’t even jostle him, despite her closeness to his hips. That he would ever be concerned about that, but well… here he was.

“Didn’t want to make you feel guilty,” Lila said meekly and Clovis could only hum. A part of his brain made him realize that he sounded like Geralt. Oh well…

“Out with it, I won’t feel guilty I promise.” Maybe a little, depending on what had happened. On the other hand, how could it have been Clovis’ fault, when he clearly had been restricted to his room for days?

“I burnt it,” Lila supplied finally, which… wasn’t helpful. “Yesterday after supper. There was so much cutlery and bowls and plates and whatnot and Marlene was stressed, because she already had started to prepare this day’s supper - there will be pies by the way - and between it all we had cleared the dishwashing basin and filled it with new water. The steam from the kettle surprised me and then I dropped it and tried to get a grip on the handle and well, burnt half of my lower left arm.”

“Oh, shit. That sounds painful. You better now?” Nina asked, reaching for Lila’s hand who gave it over and let her dearer-than-blood-sister roll up her sleeve. The bandages were clean, but burn wounds didn’t usually bleed.

It took a moment to realize why Lila had worried Clovis would feel guilty. But when it did the dread settled into his gut… he usually warmed the dishwashing water with igni and no kettle was needed. Not like he could change anything about it now. Triss wouldn’t let him move just so he could perform some signs in the kitchens and the other witchers stayed well away from Marlene’s wrath. She was very protective of her place. He had learned that first hand and had earned his place in her affection and the kitchens with patience and many, many lessons to be learned. He wondered if there was a different solution to the problem. One that didn’t involve witcher signs.

“Marlene put some honey and curd cheese onto it and that helped a little but it still itches and burns. Probably better tomorrow, I guess. Not that I can do anything about it.”

“Did you see Triss?” Clovis asked, when Nina hummed and stroked her thumb over the bandages but didn’t do anything further. Lila’s whole upper arm from her wrist to her elbow were covered in them. It didn’t look right. No one in the keep should walk around with bandages and smell like pain. At least no human… considering Clovis’ own state of health.

“Oh no,” Lila held up her hands slightly and then started to unroll her sleeve back down. “I wouldn’t bother Lady Triss with such banalities. Clovis, she has better things to do than care for some stupid burn.”

Outside the door Clovis heard some light steps. Light, but louder than any witcher would be. The clacking of heels but not as energetic for it to be Yennefer. The door opened and Clovis took the opportunity to prove Lila wrong.

“Triss, is a burn enough a wound to bother you?” Clovis asked and both Nina’s and Lila’s heads flew to the sides to look at the door. It was almost comical, to see their faces.

“Oh you fiend,” Lila exclaimed, “bastard, stupid, traitorous witcher. I am fine, Lady Triss!”

Triss chuckled and then raised an eyebrow at the half unrolled sleeve and the clearly visible bandages on Lila’s arm. “Let me be the judge of that, lass. What happened to that arm of yours?”

“It’s just a minor burn,” she replied and Triss beckoned her forward. She obediently stood and pulled her sleeve up again, so Triss could unroll the bandages. As they were unwrapped, it revealed a rather large red spot that was easily as large as Clovis’ hand. And it looked raw, with tiny blisters and very painful. When Triss prodded it, Lila hissed and the sour stench of pain filled the room.

“That is not a minor burn,” Triss chided, tone a lot more serious than it was before. “When did this happen?”

“Yesterday evening after supper,” Lila admitted. She sounded meek.

“And you didn’t come to me then, because?”

“Well.” For a moment Clovis could almost see how Lila tried to find the best way to say what she was asked to say. “We were really busy in the kitchens and until late I didn’t have time to seek you out and then it was evening and we… well, I didn’t know coming to you was an option, Lady Triss.”

Triss’ eyes were wide and she muttered “option” under her breath, a mix of confusion and outrage. But she got a grip on her emotions fast and sighed.

“You’re part of the Wolf’s and part of this keep. In other courts the servants may not seek the healers of the palace, but in this keep you are to come to me if you’re hurt, you understand? I’d rather see you healthy, even in the night, than realize I was too late to prevent permanent damage.”

For a moment Lila - and even Nina, who sat very still and watched the scene with bated breath and a scent of astonishment - didn’t say anything, then Lila nodded and Clovis could taste salt in the air. She wasn’t crying, but very close.

How he hated what they had gone through, all the servants of Kaer Morhen that had become so close friends to him. The implications of Triss’ words made him suppress a growl and he squeezed Nina’s hand to calm himself. He couldn’t go murder all the kings and nobles in a whim, even without his injury. It would be an act of war, probably, to just wreak havoc on everyone who treated their servants cruelly. He was glad things slowly started to change under Geralt’s rule. They were getting there, erasing the monsters from the human courts.

“Now, let me check on Clovis here, and then we’ll get some healing salve for your arm and you can go back to your work, and tell all your companions what I just told you, so that won’t happen again.”

“Yes, lady Triss,” Lila said, the unsteady edge in her voice gone and she even curtsied which made Triss chuckle, almost confused. She probably wasn’t used to so much attention anymore. At least it was what Clovis guessed.

“Now to you,” she said and turned to him, who sighed and slipped a little further into the bed. Triss’ check-ups always took a while.

* * *

Two days later, after Sera had brought him supper and he had managed to talk Nina into getting down to the hot springs to take a fucking bath - “No you don’t reek, you smell beautiful, but you look exhausted and it will do you good, so go. Lila go take her with you, Sera’s keeping me company alright.” - Triss visited him, as usual. However, hard on her heels was Co ё n. Which, if Clovis admitted, wouldn’t be so unusual in itself because since he woke and Co ё n had slapped some sense into him they had become rather close. Closer at least than before. Griffins had always kept their distance from him, because they were too chivalrous to keep up with his assholery. Only Ealdred had regularly sparred with him, both of them evenly matched, which was fun. It hadn’t stopped Ealdred to chastise him, whenever his mouth ran away from Clovis. Rightfully so, he now realized.

Co ёn had never bothered with him. Not outright telling him to shut up, but also never engaging with him. Clovis had wondered, a few days after he had woken up, why the Griffin had been in his room anyways. Coёn had no connection to him, no obligation to wait at his bedside until he woke up. He had wondered, and then he had asked, because he was a Wolf and curious and had a mouth on him that rivaled Lambert’s - or had rivaled Lambert’s. Not anymore, that was becoming quite clear. So Coёn had told him. It had made him laugh till tears spilled into his eyes. Coёn had been in the room because of Ciri - to keep watch over the girl, so she didn’t get into trouble again. Which was a sensible thing for Geralt to do, after that unfortunate beam accident, really. In no way had it been connected to him, he selfish fool.

He had no idea how such a conversation had turned to friendship, but it had. Somehow Coёn and he had kept on talking and realized they quite liked each other’s company. Strange things seemed to happen, since Geralt had become the Warlord of the North. Strange things, indeed.

Now, with Coёn at Triss’ side, Clovis could smell the budding excitement on both of them. He perked up, while Sera curtsied - she hadn’t managed to shake that off, at least not in front of the council and the sorceresses - and made room.

“Triss,” Clovis greeted, a small smirk spreading on his face, brought out by the scents they brought with them. “Do I need to be afraid because you brought back-up?”

That made Triss chuckle and she wacked her fingers in front of his face. “Be nice, or I might change my mind.”

“Oh?”

“Are you decent under those blankets?” Triss asked and Clovis just couldn’t keep himself from winking.

“As decent as a witcher ever can be.”

Which made Coёn snort. “Don’t compare yourself with us Griffins, please. We know how to treat a lady.”

“Yes, yes, I know. All chivalrous and noble and boring, you whole lot. I’m wearing trousers and as you can see some tunic, so please. You all saw me naked in the hot springs already, anyway.”

A giggle wafted over to them, from the corner that Sera had departed to, to make room. She held a hand in front of her mouth, to suppress it, but bursted out laughing when Clovis waggled his eyebrows at her playfully. “You know I’m right, Sera, don’t you?”

With those words she stood and shook her head. “Oh no, I’m not getting caught in your banter. I will retreat and give you over to the mercies of Lady Triss and Coёn.” She stood, gathered her sewing and curtsied again, before she slipped through the door.

“Unfair,” Clovis murmured under his breath, but with something warm blossoming in his chest. Before… before, this would never have happened. Before getting to know Nina, and deciding that it wasn’t worth holding onto his assholery, such easy teasing would never have happened. Now it was his life and he was happy to have it.

Approaching him, Triss flicked her fingers and smiled at him. “Sensible girl.” With her hand she indicated she wanted to lift his blankets and Clovis nodded, to let her. The sorceress pulled them away and chanted something under her breath. With glowing hands she hovered over his legs, examining them. It was a familiar procedure by now. Her scent was very pleased.

“You can bend them without pain?” Triss asked after a moment and Clovis hummed, affirmingly. “Very well then, I think we can release you from this bed and see if you’re ready to walk again.”

The words made him light up and he straightened, scenting the air for a lie and only found truth. Something fond mixed into Triss’ expressions. “Finally, thank the gods.” He shifted his legs and swung them over the edge of the bed, obviously faster than he should because Triss made a startled noise.

“Slowly, damned witcher, don’t undo my hard work.”

Wincing, Clovis pulled back his movement a little and settled his feet on the floor almost gingerly. Everything for Triss to not change her mind.

It felt strange, to be in this new position, and small tendrils of - not pain, but awareness of unused muscles and ginger flesh tingled through his body. When he could feel the ground with his foot soles he sighed. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Coёn push himself from the wall and step a little closer.

“Can you get up on your own or do you need help?” Triss asked, but Clovis had already started to push himself up. The feeling of soreness increased but he was too happy to be allowed to walk to mind it. “Witchers. Well, from here to the hearth and back will do for now.” Clovis eyed the distance. It was maybe ten steps forth and ten steps back to his bed. He could manage twenty steps, he was sure. By Melitele, he wanted to manage it. He wanted to go back to training, to feel the easiness of sparring, the assurance to trust his own body. He wanted his mind to ease back into knowing he could protect those he loved, when need arose.

One step, another. The soreness turned to slight pain. It zipped up from his left knee to his hips, into his spine and ended as a throbbing sharp sensation. “Fuck,” he cursed, almost silently, but Coёn heard him because he stepped even closer, almost hoovered over him.

“I’m fine,” Clovis assured and stared at the hearth. Eight more steps. He could do that. Somewhere almost far away, because he was so concentrated on assessing his body and his muscles and what they did when he walked, he recognized Triss telling him to take it slow. He did. He probably never walked this slowly in his life before, even after some wyvern had ripped a mayor part of his leg off of him in his third year on the path. Pure dumb luck had saved him back then. Pure dumb luck and a nice healer that had patched him up.

As he took another step and another, he used all his witcher training and enhanced senses to realize what muscles needed strengthening again. Almost all of them, if he was honest, but especially his left leg, which had taken the blunt force of the beam, completely buried under it. He almost instantly realized he favoured his right leg to minimize the pain and he needed to correct that - maybe not today but as his healing progressed - or his stance would be off. He couldn’t let that happen.

When he reached the hearth, he had made a mental list of which muscles needed the most work, - all his bones were healed correctly or else Triss wouldn’t let him stand - how to best train them while not straining himself and not gain Triss’ ire. He was also drenched in sweat.

“Fuck,” he hissed, bracing himself on the mantle of the hearth to take off some strain on his legs. “Why are ten steps so  _ hard _ ?” Ten fucking steps. He was a witcher, godsdammit. He should easily be able to walk ten steps, even after an injury. He was glad Nina wasn’t here to watch this. She would worry more than he wanted her to.

Triss however, smiled at him warmly. “Honestly, you did better than I expected. I feared your legs would buckle halfway through and Coёn had to catch you.” So that was why Coёn had to come. “But your stubbornness is almost as exceptional as your healing.”

“He’s a wolf, they probably have training lessons on how to be stubborn,” Coёn teased and Clovis stuck his tongue out at him, because he didn’t have the wits at the moment to form a snarky remark. Instead he took a deep breath and turned, to make the distance back to his bed.

He managed six steps - with burning legs and a stiffness that was foreign to him like nothing else - before blackness crawled up his vision. He fought it down, looked to his side and was grateful when his fellow witcher was with him immediately, offering his shoulder.

“Thank you my friend,” Clovis murmured as he put almost all his weight on Co ёn’s body, in the secure knowledge that the other would have him.

* * *

Everything hurt. His legs, his hip, even his toes and not to mention, he had a throbbing headache. Everything fucking hurt, like fucking hell and he was miserable, because it was a week since he had been allowed to walk again and it didn’t get better. The strain on his muscles was inconceivable. He knew he was probably pushing himself too hard, but by the gods, he just wanted to go back to his normal self.

He didn’t realize the door was opened, he was too concentrated on his breathing, to push the pain to the farthest corner of his brain, so he didn’t cry out. The walk to the privies, down the steps and back up, had maybe been too much after he had already taken his exercises. But he had been so sure he would manage and he didn’t want to worry Nina, who already looked at him with a frown.

“You smell fucking awful, Clovis. What did you do, wrestle or something?” The familiar voice was teasing and Clovis hadn’t had the wits for it, at the moment.

“Fuck off, Lambert.”

“Awwww, don’t be like that,” he drawled. “Be grateful that your best friend comes to visit you.”

“Why am I only ever your best friend when you want to shit with me?” Clovis growled, changing his posture on the bed and hissed, as pain ripped through his left leg. “Fuck.”

“Clovis,” Nina whispered, worried and the scent that had already had a notch of worry soured even further. This day, this shit day, couldn’t be over fast enough. It wasn’t even suppertime.

“Oh wow, you really need some distraction, don’t you?” Lambert said, and closed the door behind him, before he walked closer and lowered himself onto the nearby stool. His eyes tracked over Clovis’ body and landed at his hand that Nina had taken in a soft grip. Something in Lambert’s scent changed to smugness.

“But you know, maybe you already have enough distraction.” And then the arse waggled his eyebrows and Clovis couldn’t stop himself from reaching for his pillow to throw it at his fellow witcher.

“Shut up.”

Of course he didn’t manage to hit Lambert. The ass just snatched it out of the air and laughed. “That’s mine now.” Gods, Clovis needed to get back to training, to be able to punch that smirk off of Lambert’s face.

“Lambert,” Clovis growled, when the other stood and sauntered back to the door he had just come in. Why was he friends with him again? Right now, Clovis couldn’t wrap his head around it. Especially when Lambert opened the door, pillow still in hand, and smelling way too smug.

“Ah ah, nope, I claimed the pillow fair and square,” he laughed. Put out and frustrated Clovis let himself fall back onto the mattress - sins the pillow. A pillow he really had come to appreciate the last few days, laying in bed, almost all day. Whatever, let the asshole have it, if it made him feel better.

Nina, however, didn’t seem to share his sentiment. She stood, his hand still in hers, but she stood. “The pillow, Lambert,” she said, voice very neutral and with an edge of anger. Oh, well, let Lambert face the wrath of a servant. They made their lives easier, they easily could make their lives harder, too. And Lambert knew that, because his scent changed, just a little. Clovis stared at the ceiling of his room, but he could hear his witcher brother curse very quietly and then throw the pillow. It sailed through the air and even though Clovis could have caught it, he let it fall on his face.

He just had realized what Lambert had implied earlier, with his eyebrow waggle. He wasn’t ready for that conversation. He threw his free arm over the pillow and pressed it further into his face. He needed this day to be over.

It wasn’t over.

“Clovis?” Nina whispered and the way her voice wavered made him pull the pillow away. By now Lambert had left. He couldn’t hear her so anxious and not do anything.

“I’m fine,” he said, but just glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. He was behaving irrational, he knew that. He couldn’t change it, at the moment.

Fucking Lambert. Really. He knew the other had just teased, but he also didn’t  _ know _ . Not of Nina’s and not of the rest of her sister’s past. Almost no one of the witchers knew, Nina had told him so.

With slow movements Nina settled on the edge of the bed and freed her hand to caress his cheeks. It felt warm and soft and good. It made him tilt his head to look at her properly, and it ached to see her warm smile, the way her locks fell into her face and her lips moved, to speak. It ached, but in a good way. His pain was mostly forgotten.

“I don’t care what Lambert says, you know that? Don’t lie to me when you’re obviously not fine. You had an exhausting day, and you’re pushing yourself so hard to get better. You’re allowed to feel like shit, sometimes.”

Blinking, Clovis had a hard time to keep the tears that gathered in his eyes at bay. Shit. He was a witcher, he wasn’t used to crying. He wasn’t used to words hitting so close to home, but they did. Nina had that effect on him. The calluses of her hand caught on his beard. He needed to shave again. Nina smelled worried. He wanted to sooth her and not lie, at the same time. Maybe it wasn’t about always smiling to make her stop worrying. Gods, he didn’t know. Ordering his thoughts was hard.

“I don’t… I…,” he took a deep breath. What the fuck? “I love you.”

Oh. Wow. How had those words been the conclusion of all his swirling thoughts? Anxiety clawed at his insides, but Nina just smiled at him and suddenly her sunflower happiness smell was back, mixed with honey and her eyes sparkled, and she looked beautiful like this. Her hand hadn’t stopped caressing his cheek. It felt good. It felt wonderful.

“I love you, too.”

Was it really that easy? But there was no lie in her words, her scent didn’t change and the sincerity was pure and true and  _ there _ . He took another deep breath of her scent and let it wash away his fears. Let it wash away the memories of his parents and how they had lived their life. Because while it was the only relationship he knew, he knew, too, that it wasn’t how he wanted to live his own.

Silence enveloped them for a while and Nina didn’t interrupt him as Clovis sorted his thoughts. As if she knew. She probably did.

“Listen, I know Lambert was just teasing, but…,” he started and then shook his head. He started again. “I was such an asshole before I got to know you, and I know what I always implied… but in reality I have no interest in sex and I don’t want you to think…”

He was interrupted by Nina’s chuckle. Her thumb brushed his cheek soothingly. “I know.”

Confused, he perked up and sat a little straighter on his bed, covering her hand with his to stop her movement.

“But…,” he didn’t know what to say, simply looked at her smiling.

“Oh Clovis, you idiot.” He wanted to protest, but couldn’t. He was stunned silent. “You didn’t even try to kiss me once. When we touch your hands never stray. I think I guessed something like it.”

He took a deep breath and exhaled through his nose. Relief flooded him. “Your past was shit enough. I wouldn’t force my touch on you. Or anyone.”

“No, I know that,” Nina replied. Her voice was light. Despite the topic it was light. As if she trusted him to not hurt her. Never hurt her. He wouldn’t. He would never. It was good to know she knew that. “But this isn’t entirely about me. Sex makes you uncomfortable. I get it. You aren’t broken, or anything, because of it.”

But Clovis shook his head. He sighed and entangled their fingers, to lay their hands on his lap. “It doesn’t make me uncomfortable, honestly. I just … I don’t care about it. It’s messy and lots of limbs and…” He looked at Nina’s curious gaze. “It’s just not worth the hassle, I guess.” He took another deep breath. Nina’s smell was still sunflower happiness. Which was comforting. “But I don’t know about you.”

“Me?”

“Yes, I know your past, but I learned that your past doesn’t have to define your present,” he said and smiled a little, because he repeated words Nina had once told him. Obviously, by her widened eyes, she realized it, too.

“Oh… well, honestly, I haven’t thought about it too much, because I always assumed you don’t… well that you don’t like sex. And that’s fine with me. But… I.” She stopped and looked at him. Really, really looked at him. “I like being close to you. You make me feel safe. You make me feel whole and worthy. I always disconnected myself from my body, when… back then. But with you I feel whole.”

Clovis squeezed her hand. Somehow he understood what she was trying to say.

“I…,” she looked at him. Still. Her gaze flitted towards his lips and when she said, “Maybe we can kiss and I can figure it out from there,” it was the easiest thing to pull her close and let his lips caress hers. Warmth exploded in his chest. He could hear Nina’s heartbeat, feel her chest expand on his own when they both parted for breath. This was right. Kissing her was easy and good, and holding her in his arms was the most perfect thing.

“Are you okay?” he asked her, as she looked up at him, almost dazed. Her nod was slow and her smile sweet.

“Yes. Yes, I think we can figure it out from here.” And then she pulled him towards her for another kiss.

* * *

_ The beam is falling and falling, so very slowly, and Clovis should have enough time to save Ciri, to run and grab her and get her out of the way, but his legs just won’t move. Still, the beam is falling, someone’s shouting his name and he jerks, cries out and _ … opened his eyes to look into soft brown ones.

“Hey there,” Nina whispered, voice laced with sleep. It was still dark outside, but the first birds were starting to chirp, so dawn couldn’t be too far. Sighing, he turned his head to let Nina’s body and smell and voice wash away the nightmare.

“Sorry, bad dream.”

With one finger Nina brushed over his cheek, his brows, his forehead, his nose and lips. It was soothing. It reminded him of last night. Of warm touches, of soft caresses, of silent pants and laughter and closeness. It had felt like nothing had ever felt before and it had been good. Hearing and seeing and feeling Nina be comfortable around him and on top of him, hearing her quiet moans and her accelerated breaths, was good. Nothing like before. Never like before, with her. Her sated smiles and the scents of sunflower happiness and honeyed love had shown him it wasn’t like before for her, too.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Nina’s voice was soft in the morning, and he shifted a little to better place her on his shoulder. Their skins brushed under the furs and he shuddered. Goosebumps, all over his body. Still. Always. Always good.

“Just tried to save Ciri and couldn’t move,” he mumbled into her locks.

“Oh, dear,” Nina muttered and Clovis huffed, erasing the memory. He didn’t want to think about it, but the image was burned into his skull.

“Of all the things I could dream about, it happens to be something that didn’t even happen.” He knew his voice was a little bitter, but really. He had gone through the trials and had suffered a shit childhood and his brain decided to stick to… this. Even though Ciri was unscathed and jumping around happily as she always did.

“You still struggle, after all,” Nina said. “Your body’s adjusting and relearning. It’s quite normal.”

“I’m back to training,” Clovis argued and then spied outside. The first sun rays crept over the mountains. They had to be up in a few minutes anyway. Him for morning training and exercises - finally able to almost normally go about his day, after a month of intensive workout and much more pain - and Nina for her work in the kitchen.

“I know that,” Nina’s voice was teasing and she even plucked at one of his fiery red strands. He was too lazy to bat her hands away. It was nice to have her fingers in his hair. He had yet to find one of her touches not to feel nice. “But I also know that your left leg still aches after a long day. I sleep here, next to you, most of the days, you know.”

With a chuckle Clovis pressed his elbows into the mattress to hover over her. “How could I forget,” he murmured, before he pressed a kiss onto her lips. It was reciprocated with a soft press. Then Nina pushed him away which made him let out a small growl.

“Hey,” he protested, a small smirk on his face, “I wasn’t done with you.”

But Nina didn’t relent, instead peeked outside the window and lifted herself into a sitting position. “As much as I would love to keep kissing you, I have to get changed. It’s rather far to the servant’s quarters.”

Sighing, Clovis rolled to the side, to let Nina stand up. With routined moves she slipped into her underclothes and dress from the day before. He should get up, too, but he couldn’t motivate himself to move. Not when he could watch his partner move with such elegant but precise movements. He wanted to have her close always, to not give up precious minutes to her walking down to the servants’ dorms to change. To be able to enjoy those few minutes before they absolutely had to get up in bed, let her warmth and comforting presence chase away the nightmares.

She turned, probably to chastise him to finally stand up, too, or just to give him a kiss - he would never find out, because he caught her hand in his and looked up at her. It rendered her speechless and into the silence he blurted, “Move in here with me.”

It was almost comical how she blinked at him, but then she shook her head and laughed, a mix of shock and happiness. “You’re serious?”

Finally standing up, Clovis pulled her close and nuzzled her neck. Whispering, to not startle her, so close to her ear, he said, “You said it yourself, you’re here almost every night. Just get your things and stack them here. I’ll help get a chest in. The girls are welcome to our rooms whenever they want and -”

“Maybe not whenever they want,” Nina interrupted him, chuckling and warmth spread through Clovis’ chest.

“Is that ja yes?”

A kiss was placed on Clovis’ lips. Drawing back, Nina’s eyes crinkled as she looked at him.

“Yes.”

The feeling inside him was happiness. The bubbling thing that pulled the edges of his mouth up, to make him smile, obviously love. Because what else could it be? If all this change had brought him here, to this moment, then it had been worth it. Every step, every hardness, every wound and every bit of pain.

“But I still have to get changed, today, so…,” Nina grinned and he loosened his arms around her. “I’ll see you for breakfast.”

“See you later,” he replied and let her go… she slipped through the door, which she left slightly ajar. He could hear her heartbeat still, her steps down the stairs. It was okay to let her go, because he knew she would come back to him. Slowly, to not stress his left leg, he reached for his own clothes, to start the day.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not much for labels, but I know they can be helpful, so I wanted to point them out. Even though I know things as labels can be different for everyone.
> 
> So Clovis is an asexual character, who is sex-neutral. Nina feels sexual attraction but she is (because of her past) very reluctant about sex. They obviously made it work <3
> 
> Thank you all for your lovely comments and reviews on the last few parts of the series. I'm very bad at answering all of them but I love you and I appreciate every review und kudo and bookmark.


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